Last night was a memorable one for Little Simz, the rapper and actress was deemed the winner of the prestigious Pioneer Award at the 2020 AIM Independent Music Awards. A huge feat for the star, the #AimAwards2020 took place on Wednesday the 12th August.
For the past 21 years, the AIM awards have celebrated emerging, unconventional artists of the independent music sector. Some notable artists who have been honoured at past AIM Awards are indie rock band Wolf Alice, rapper Stormzy and the indie-pop trio, London Grammar.
The #AimAwards2020 saw the ever virtual instalment of the ceremony. Originally set to take place at the Roundhouse, the iconic performing arts and concert venue in Camden, London, the ceremony transitioned to a virtual platform to adhere to health guidelines amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
As well as scooping up the coveted Pioneer Award, Little Simz also delivered a blinding performance of her song, Might Bang Might Not. Little Simz, who describes herself as a “one woman army”, spoke on her somewhat difficult but rewarding music making journey, saying “it has been the stairs and not the escalators.”
When accepting her award, Little Simz elaborated on the many challenges independent artists face. Simz declared that “The hardest thing you will probably ever do if you are independent is to remain independent, but the rewards are so great.” Simz also gave some valuable advice to aspiring musicians, saying “the best thing to do is stay on it, surround yourself with people that believe in your journey and you will get there.”
Little Simz took to social media today to revel in her well-deserved win. Posting to Instagram a photograph of herself holding her brand new award, Little Simz wrote “Pioneer Award AIM 2020. Crazy scenes yo. thank you @aimawards.” Gathering over 26,000 likes, the post was met with excitement from fans.
To the delight of her social media following, Simz also posted a clip of her performance at the #AimAwards2020. Featuring a snippet of You Should Call Your Mum, Simz’ powerful performance has received over 33,000 views on Instagram.
Other British artists that stormed the #AimAwards2020 include rapper AJ Tracey, who picked up the amazing Innovator Award, and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs, who took home the Best [Difficult] Second Album for her breathtaking record, Magdalene.
Little Simz, real name Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, was born in 1994 in London. As well as her success in music, Simz is also widely known for her roles in E4’s Youngsters and the BBC original, Spirit Warriors.
Simz charged onto the scene with the release of her debut mixtape E.D.G.E in 2014, and has been making huge waves in the rap game ever since. Penning hits like Offence, Venom and You Should Call Mum, with knife-sharp lyrical wit and a sonic blend of jazz, hip-hop and experimental rap, Simz’ sound is hard to pin down, which makes it so ear-catching in the first place.
The latest release from Little Simz is EP Drop 6, which graced streaming platforms on the 6th May 2020.
